St. Matthew's Road

St. Matthews Road consists of two separate houses next door to one another located in a pleasant tree-lined road in St. Leonards-on-Sea. The homes enjoy easy access to the local shops at Silverhill and there is a regular bus service to Hastings and Battle. The beautiful Sussex countryside and coastline is also nearby. There is a wide variety of leisure activities and places of interest to visit and service users make good use of these. Within each of the houses there is a flat for one individual whilst three/four individuals share the rest of the building. Each house has a large rear garden, and one has an additional activity room. The gardens are well maintained and often used for social activities in the summer.

We aim to provide educational, occupational, social and recreational opportunities for each resident to equip them with the life skills to become a participating member of the community. We encourage growth and learning by way of our resource centre in Battle and also, by visiting Hastings during the day and evening time. Our resource centres cater to the particular needs of each individual. We recognise that our service users are subject to their ASC, so we take managed risks to develop the individual.

St. Matthews has one manager, one deputy manager, senior support staff and support staff. Staffing levels are provided on a 3-1 and a 4-1 basis but where needs are identified as being higher, we facilitate a 1-1 approach. All staff complete a comprehensive induction program and receive regular autism specific training as well as a wide range of communication methods such as Makaton. Care staff are NVQ level 3 trained and if new staff are employed without this they are expected to complete the NVQ L3 programme. All staff receive regular supervision and support with an annual appraisal.

Residents have their own personalised bedrooms and communal areas. Each person has their own timetable of daily events and a member of staff who focuses on their needs and case work. These staff are called Key Workers and are available to attend meetings, reviews and appointments as well as caring for the day to day needs of individuals. They have annual reviews where goals are set for the following year. This is to ensure that we continue to aim to provide the best service possible.

The differing needs of the ten residents are supported by using a person-centred approach. The local Hastings College of Art and Technology provides a range of subjects that service users can access throughout the year, and those that are ready for employment are encouraged to take up work or receive coaching toward part time or full time employment. Service users use a wide range of community facilities ranging from shopping, bowling and horse riding to participating in local community clubs or musical groups.